The Wall Street Journal: According to online job board Dice.com, 2011 was the first year ever when the average Silicon Valley tech worker made more than $100,000. To be more exact, the average Silicon Valley techie earned $104,195 last year, 5.2 percent more than in 2010. Hourly rates for contract workers and bonuses in the region also saw big gains. "There's a tussle for talent growing in Silicon Valley and employers have to pay up," said Dice.com's Tom Silver.

For the country as a whole, IT salary gains were more modest--a 2 percent increase to $81,327.